U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jon Tester (D-MT) on May 18 unveiled a successfully negotiated bipartisan bill that would provide all generations of toxic-exposed United States military veterans with earned health care and benefits.
“This bipartisan legislation is the most comprehensive toxic-exposure package the Senate has ever delivered to veterans in this country’s history,” said Sen. Moran and Sen. Tester, ranking member and chairman, respectively, of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, in a joint statement.
For more than a year, Sens. Moran and Tester led negotiations between Democrats, Republicans, U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee leadership, the Biden administration, and Veterans Service Organizations that have resulted in the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, also known as the Honoring Our PACT Act.
The bill is named for Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson, who was deployed to Kosovo and Iraq with the Ohio National Guard and died in 2020 from toxic exposure while serving in the military.
“For far too long, our nation’s veterans have been living with chronic illnesses as a result of exposures during their time in uniform,” the senators said in their statement released on Wednesday. “Today, we’re taking necessary steps to right this wrong with our proposal that’ll provide veterans and their families with the health care and benefits they have earned and deserve.”
According to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers, the measure would expand U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care eligibility to Post-9/11 combat veterans, which includes more than 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans; create a framework to establish future presumptions of service connection related to toxic exposure; and add 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to the VA’s list of service presumptions.
Among numerous other provisions, the bill would expand presumptions related to Agent Orange exposure; bolster federal research on toxic exposure; and improve the VA’s resources and training for toxic-exposed veterans, the summary says.
“In addition to providing historic relief to all generations of toxic-exposed veterans, this legislation will improve claims processing to meet the immediate and future needs of every veteran it serves,” Sens. Moran and Tester said. “Together, we will continue working until Congress delivers on its commitment to passing long-lasting solutions and comprehensive reforms for those who served our country.”